A brief look into the evolution of controller ergonomics

When you think of a video game controller, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the first controller from your childhood? The one currently sitting on your coffee table? Maybe even one that was very unique, never having a successor inspired by its design. For most, especially those new to playing video games on consoles, it’s likely influenced by a standard shape or design often seen with current-gen consoles. Two handles, rounded edges, two joysticks, an assortment of buttons on one side, triggers on the top/back, and wireless.

Over the past few years there’s been quite a lot that has changed with video games and consoles, but controllers seem to follow the same formula in terms of design (primarily Xbox and PlayStation). Even the Nintendo Switch with its separate dual controllers offers what most would consider the more ‘standard’ option to play games (via the Switch Pro controller).

I find it interesting why ideas from years ago are seen as standard features for what’s supposed to be cutting-edge technology. I’d imagine a lot of faith was left in the hands of the designers and engineers behind creating controllers. For now, I’m just going to take a look at some of the more notable first-party controllers from the past and will be highlighting the ergonomic and technical features they introduced. To make things simple, here’s a checklist of what I’m talking about:

Magnavox Odyssey

Starting our journey, we first encounter an odyssey: the Magnavox Odyssey. The Odyssey was released in 1972 and was the first commercially available home console. I’ll admit, the first time I encountered one of these I thought it was part of a home appliance of some kind. The controllers had a basic design consisting of 4 total inputs:

• 2 dials on the left (the larger dial controls horizontal movement of the player’s marker/paddle while the smaller dial controls the projectile after being deflected by the player’s marker)
• 1 dial on the right controlling vertical movement
• 1 reset button in the middle to reposition all player markers

The controller is generally meant to be used on a flat surface with its slightly beveled bottom and isn’t ideal for holding it in your hands. The larger knobs had horizontally cut depressions for texture while the smaller knob included a protruding dial point likely for orienting one’s hands without needing to look down from the screen. Because most of the Odyssey’s games involved preventing a projectile from passing through a player’s side of the screen (i.e., tennis), it’s likely vertical movement was prioritized for the right side. As you can imagine, this was made with right-handed players in mind. Horizontal movement, though necessary for other games, was not a critical input. Interestingly, the smaller dial (or ‘English’) controls the vertical movement of the ball. Why this was a feature paired with the horizontal input is a mystery to me, but may have something to do with how the device is built.

The Odyssey opened the door to a foundational element important to games today — radial movement. Not only could you move on an X and Y axis, but using the vertical and horizontal knobs in tandem would produce diagonal movement. Having 360° movement in games has been a prerequisite for controllers since its introduction via the Odyssey. Additionally, having a reset button to completely start from scratch would soon become a console-only feature for many years to come.

Atari 2600

10 years later, Atari 2600 was released in 1982 and featured what is one of the most memorable controllers ever made, the Atari CX40 joystick. This controller is an excellent example of not asking for more than what you need. Its simple design is comprised of 2 physical inputs:

• 1 button
• 1 digital joystick

The CX40 has an incredibly straightforward design and is generally intended to be used with the right hand on the joystick while the left hand holds the controller with the left thumb on the…only button. The joystick has vertical ridges in a hexagon shape to help players maximize grip while the top is flat and ideal for the right thumb to sit. The button is slightly concave which can prevent thumb slippage for those really intense rounds of Asteroids. The smooth edges and wider top half make gripping the controller much easier, but can also be placed on that shag carpeting for a more arcade feel.

Although it wasn’t the first to introduce the concept of a handheld controller, it did pave the way for multi-direction output within 1 physical input (i.e., joysticks). The CX40 also promoted the use of a joystick dictating 360° movement, establishing this as the optimal choice for many designs soon to follow. The CX40 also popularized the concept of having an ‘action’ button, unbound by direct labels and left up to players to discover what this single button will do in games.

Nintendo Entertainment System

Only 3 years later, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) appeared in North America and released a widely popular controller design. For many, the NES controller was their first controller and offered an approachable design for newcomers to games. The controller’s design included 8 physical inputs:

• 1 Directional Pad (Up + Down + Left + Right)
• 1 Select-Button
• 1 Start-Button
• 1 B-Button
• 1 A-Button

The NES controller was one of the first to establish a horizontally-aligned interface and separate dedicated spaces for action and movement. Keeping things within a relatively horizontal fashion catered to the idea of making this a ‘thumbs-only’ controller (as the thumbs have greater dexterity moving horizontally than our fingers). The directional pad (D-Pad) features a slight concave design with each edge depressing towards the center bevel. Each directional input has an etched arrow indicating direction and providing texture. The D-Pad’s slightly-inverted design allows for easier and faster directional change where a player’s thumb can slide back to center and quickly shift to a new direction. Both Select and Start buttons are rubber textured with rounded edges and, well, look like horizontally-aligned grains of gray rice. Each is placed in the center of the controller where critical game actions (stopping gameplay or choosing menu options) are easily accessible to the player’s thumbs.The B and A buttons are circular to prevent an issue seen with the earlier Famicom model where its square buttons would stick underneath the controller’s body. The buttons also have a smooth, rounded top and are slightly convex.

Although it isn’t a novel concept, the D-Pad successfully translated the movements of a joystick (even those tricky diagonals) to a more compact, thumb-friendly physical input. The NES controller also helped establish the concept of multiple action input, which translated well with the console’s library games with more elaborate functions and elements. A somewhat overlooked design choice to label buttons helped players quickly identify which action was required for several new concepts such as combinations and codes. Most of the NES’s predecessors utilized a TV remote control-like design where buttons were vertically aligned. However, the NES helped firmly establish the idea of having buttons on controllers more horizontally aligned, dedicating zones for different inputs, and a great workout for the thumbs.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

The dawn of the bit wars is now upon us with the 16-bit SNES making its appearance in 1991 (2 years later than its competition the Sega Genesis). When most people think of comfortable gaming, the SNES controller is often the gold standard. The SNES controller encompasses a whopping 12 physical inputs:

• 1 Directional Pad (Up + Down + Left + Right)
• 1 Select Button
• 1 Start Button
• 4 Action Buttons (Y, X, B, A)
• 2 Shoulder Buttons (L and R)

One of the first things you’ll notice is the controller’s rounded design (sometimes called the dogbone design). The controller’s rounded edges conform to the middle of the player’s palm and naturally guides the index fingers to the two shoulder buttons positioned at the top of the controller. The shoulder buttons slightly protrude from the controller’s body, are near the same width of the controller, and are about 1.5” in length. The longer buttons make for an ideal resting place for a player’s fingers to sit at the ready. The bottom of the controller transitions via a 135° angle to a straight edge where players can slightly curl their ring fingers on the apex for more stability.

With the inclusion of 2 additional buttons on the controller’s main face, the cross pattern or diamond layout creates a natural path for the player’s right thumb to easily navigate diagonally across the ‘pairs’ of buttons. Think of the pairs as being Y+B and X+A. The angled layout also complements the biomechanical thumb movement when switching between the different button pairs. The X and Y buttons are concave to help guide the more narrow tip of the thumb back to the center of the button. Additionally, the cavity serves as a unique ball-and-socket function where the player’s thumb is the ball and the cavity is the socket. This allows players to easily perform simultaneous button combinations (holding Y to sprint and pressing B to jump). The B and A buttons are convex allowing the player to easily use the wider part of their thumb to locate and press the button.

Similar to the NES controller, the Start and Select buttons are centrally located and utilize similar shape, size, and material. However, the buttons are now at a 45° angle, matching the YXBA button layout. The change might be due to the thumb’s natural approach to the buttons where the broad side is easier to reach rather than the narrow edge (as seen with the NES controller).

From the smooth contours and diamond button formation to the inclusion of shoulder buttons, the SNES controller established an excellent example of designing around the player’s hands. It shaped the geography of input placement for modern controllers and illustrated that it is possible to make controllers feel more natural. Even to this day, third-party companies make reproduction models that either emulate or closely follow the SNES’s overall design. Although it wasn’t the first controller to feature a more rounded, mainstream ‘dogbone’ design (Sega Genesis), it certainly was the first to show the world how it’s properly done.

Sony PlayStation (PS1)

In 1995, the Sony PlayStation hit the scene and catapulted the gaming world to the next generation of graphics and ergonomics. The PS1’s controller originally had a simple design and relied on a D-Pad for directional input. However, 2 years after the PS1’s release, the world was introduced to likely the most iconic and player-friendly video game controllers ever made — The DualShock controller. The DualShock yields a total of 19 inputs:

• 2 Left Shoulder Buttons (L1 and L2)
• 2 Right Shoulder Buttons (R1 and R2)
• 4 Separate Directional Keys (Up, Down, Left, Right)
• 1 Select Button
• 1 Start Button
• 1 Analog Switch Button
• 4 Action Buttons ( ⃞ , ⃤ ,◯, ✕)
• 2 Analog Joysticks
• 2 Analog Joystick Buttons (R3 and L3)

* It’s worth noting that Sony developed an intermediate step between the original PS1 controller and DualShock called the Dual Analog Controller (sans haptic feedback), but we’ll be focusing on the more popular iteration.

At first glance, you’ll notice the DualShock has a familiar rounded shape to it *cough Dogbone* but also has a much more dynamic composition of contours. The elongated handles are angled and in a way that provides a natural path to the inputs on the left and right sides of the controller. Ultimately, this allows for the thenar eminence (where the thumb transitions to the palm) to easily rest on the controller for optimal thumb input interaction. In turn, this makes the hand form into a forehand grip and makes reaching the shoulder buttons much easier. The center of the controller is formed by a slight depression where each side of the controller’s inputs are elevated from the center with a slight curb (similar to a sidewalk curb).

The shoulder buttons are vertically stacked and protrude from the controller’s main body, leaving the top of the controller near the exact length of the shoulder buttons. This, and the slight curvature of the shoulder buttons, provides a natural guide to locating the shoulder buttons with a player’s index finger without having to look down at the controller. Additionally, it promotes players to curl their index fingers on the R1/L1 buttons for a resting position, always at the ready for quick combos and aiming. One can view this as zoning where a dedicated space is established for a specific input different from the others (similar to the NES controller dedicating the left side for direction, and the right for action). The two buttons on either side are separated by about an ⅛” with the R1/L1 buttons situated at the top while the R2/L2 at the bottom. The R2 and L2 buttons are slightly wider than the R1 and L1 buttons, serving as an ideal way to quickly slide the index finger down from top to bottom without overshooting it.

The D-Pad breaks away from the traditional unibody cross design with its individual arrow keys (a personal favorite of mine). Each directional key is in the shape of an elongated pentagon with each peak pointing towards the center space of the D-Pad formation. This allows for smooth transitions between directional change as the peak for each key provides a physical crescendo to the next and tapers to the abrupt, wide edge of the button.

Placed in the center are the critical in-game actions Select, Start, and Analog. The Select and Start are rectangular and triangular respectively and are horizontally aligned. It can be inferred the difference in shape is another way for players to quickly read/memorize the locations and actions via tactile memory. Below and at the midpoint between the Start and Select buttons is the rectangular Analog button which serves as a switch between activating and deactivating the joysticks. This Analog button is closest to the joysticks and at the midpoint between the two for quick activation.

Similar to the shoulder buttons, the joysticks have their own physical protrusion from the controller’s main body. Each joystick is housed in a circular mold with a 180° outward curvature facing the player, making the joysticks roughly separated by ~2.5”-3”. The joysticks have a textured rubber surface (for that non-slip grip) with an open-faced ball and socket mechanism. Although there’s no obvious indication for it, the R3/L3 buttons are accessible via pressing down the left or right joystick. The key element and reason behind the name ‘DualShock’ comes from the motors located within each joystick’s housing and provide haptic responses during gameplay. It wasn’t the first to provide haptic feedback, but didn’t require batteries and didn’t rely on a single motor (where 2 motors adds a more intense and dynamic haptic response).

And finally, the convex circular action buttons copy the SNES’s diamond formation but deviate from the labels used. ( ⃞ , ⃤ ,◯, ✕) were originally conceived as individual actions where:

Square = Menus

Triangle = Perspective or POV

Circle = Confirmation/Yes

✕ = Decline/No

It’s easy to see why the DualShock design is still used as a reference for the majority of modern controllers and still a design PlayStation uses to this day. It gave players an excellent vessel for navigating 3D games and enabled developers more elaborate gameplay while ensuring players could still enjoy interacting with these more complex games. The biggest factor from the DualShock’s contribution was prioritizing the resting position of the player’s hands. With more and more buttons thrown on the controller, making every input ‘within reach’ and requiring minimal effort to memorize button placement were elements the DualShock mastered.

From dials to dual wielding joysticks, there’s been a lot of careful craftsmanship and research that went into these controllers we generally take for granted. It’s incredible to see how a slight curve here and a bit of texture there can vastly improve how player actions are translated into gameplay — ultimately improving our sense of immersion. A one-liner to summarize the theme for the first part of our journey looking at the evolution of controller ergonomics:

Keep the player’s eyes on the game and let the thumbs/fingers do the reading.

Part 2 will be covering even bolder and more ambitious controller designs that certainly would have been viewed as ‘tech from the future’ — starting with a Wii bit of fun.